Ballot-box.



C. P. SULLIVAN &z E. B. BLACK.

BALLOT BOX.

APPLIOATI'ON I'ILBD'JUNB 12, 1908.

926,'779. 4 Patented July 6, 1909.

WIT 5 5555 U i* ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS P. SULLIVAN, OF MEDFORD, AND HENRY B. BLACK, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

BALLOT-BOX.

No. 92e,779.

Speefication of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 12, 1908.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Serial No. &38,033.

To clZ whom it "ma y concerns Be it known that we, CORNELIUS P. SUL- LIvAN, of Medford, and HENRY B. BLACK, of Everett, both in the oounty of Middlesex and State of Massaehusetts, citizens ot' the United States, have invented an Improved Ballot-Box, of which the following is a specification.

Our ballot box is of the kind with which the ordinary balls and cubes are used to take a ballot upon a particular question here such ballot boxes are used, as the ballot is secret it has been iinpossible heretofore to tell whether a person through accident or on s purpose has deposited two ballot balls.

Moreover in organizations where each meinber is required to vote it has been inpossible to tell whether such requirenent has been fulfilled.

Our invention is intended to provide a ballot box in which but one ballot ball can be cast at a time and in the casting of such ballot ball an audible and uninistakable sound is made which indicates that a ballot ball has been cast.

Our invention will be understood by reference to the drawings in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of the ballot box, the niechanisin peculiar to our invention being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a similar view in which, however, the mechanisn embodying our invention is shown in vertical section, and Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the said niechanisin in action.

A is the floor of the ballot box which has side and end walls, a drawer A located to receive the ballot balls which have been cast, an opening A through which the hand may be passed when about to cast a vote, and a top A It will be noted that the only way of reaching the interier of the box is through the hand opening A or through the removal of the drawer A Vi e have shown over the drawer an opening A which is covered with a fine wire netting for a purpose to be hereinafter stated. The ballot box is divided into two chainbers B, B by a partition B 13 B the parts B B* being substantially vertical though out of line with each other and the part B connecting the two parts B and 13 Upon the floor of the ballot box and passing up through the partition B is a guideway coinprising as shown a tube C attached to the fioor A of the box by screws or otherwise. In this tube slides a gate D. The tube O has two orificcs preferably located opposite each other, one ori'ice c carrying a delivery tube E leading into the chanbcr B so that those ballot balls which are placed within the tube are delivered into the drawcr A The oriice 0 upon the opposite side ol the guide-way opens into the chanber B of the ballot box so that a ballot ball uay be deposited in the gate and a second ball may fall back into that chanber B as below described.

The gate D is supported within the guideway C by a spring (l which it partially incloses. As shown a pin (Z passcs through the gate D and rests upon the spring (Z so that when the gate is depressed the spring will be compressed. The gate D also has two orifiees located opposite each other, one of which (1 is normally out ol register with the delivery tube E while the other (7 is always in register with the opening c. The top of the gate D is provided prcferably with a block d' by neans of which the gate nay be depressed by the 'Iinger when the ballot is to be cast. Above the oriiice d the edge ol the gate is preferably sharpencd to form a knife edge for reasons hercinai'ter described.

The lower edge ol' the orifice d carries a tongue (1 which is hingcd thei-eto and is pre'l'- erably slaped to receive a ball or other ballot. This tongue extends across the gate and serves to receive and support a ballot before it is cast into the chainber B Below this tongue d lies a 'finger 6 attached to the inside ol' the guide-way and so arranged that when the gate is depressed the tongue Will be li'l'ted by this finger and thrown over into the position shown in Fig. 3, thus depositing the ballot ball in the delivery tube E through which it l'alls into the ehamber B A bell F suitably hung lies in the path ol' the ballot ball so that with each ballot ball discharged l'rom the tube there is a sound ol' the bell and it is thus ii'npossible 'l'or a person to pretend to vote without being found out l'or unless he votes the bell will not ring. The opening A* rel'erred to above is located over this bell to allow the sound to escape l'ron' the interier ol' the box. The ori'fice (1 in the gate not only allows the voter to place a ballot ball upon the tongue in the act oi' voting but when the gate has been depressed as shown in Fig. 3 this opening registers with a portion ol' the opening 0 in the guide-way.

It will be noted that when the apparatus is in the position shown in Fig. 3 the entrance to the delivery tube E is closed so that a second ball cannot be voted until the'parts have resumed their original position, and it Will also be noted that at this movement orifice d registers with a portion of the orifice c in the guide-way. Because of this Construction it is impossible tor one person to cast two ballots at one operation, for suppose he attempts to place two balls one on top of the other in the gate D and depresses the gate, the lower ball will be deposited in the delivery tube by the action of the finger 0 upon the tongue d and at the same time the upper edge of the orifice d will out in between the top ball and orifice c closing the orifice with the tongue d and forcing the upper ball back into the chamber B through the orifices d and c. We prefer also to attach to the gate a re ister of any ordinary description which will register the number of depressions or downward movements of the gate and thus indicate at the end of the balloting how many ballot balls have been cast. Such a register is shown at G mounted on top of the box, its arm g being actuated by a connecting rod g which connects with a pin 9 attached to the gate D through a slot 9 in the side of the guide-way by means of a clamp piece g In using the ballot box above described the person puts hishand into the chamber B and taking a ballot ball drops it on the tongue d through the orifices c, cZ He then depresses the gate by means of the block dt, which allows the opening (ii to register with the corresponding opening c in the guideway and also causes the hi ting of the tongue d so that it throws the ballot ball out into the tube E. The momentum of the ball carries it against the bell F so that knowledge is conveyed that the ballot ball has been deposited in the drawer A At the same time the depression of the gate D causes the register G to register one vote. Upon removing the finger from the block (2 the gate returns to its original position. Should the voter deposit two balls in the gate and then depress the gate the lower ball will be thrown into the delivery tube E as shown in Fig. 3 but as the upper edge of the orifice d of the gate and the tongue d close the entrance to the delivery tube E so that only one ballot ball can pass out, the other ball will be thrown out in the opposite direction through the orifice d of the gate and the orifice c in the guide-way back into the chamber B. Thus it will be impossible for one person at one operation to cast two ballots and every ballot cast not only gives information by striking the bell that it is cast, but also is registered through the instrumental'ty of the depressed gate and the register located in sight on top of the ballot box.

The register may be of any one of the well known constructions such as are used for register-ing the rotations of shafts in ordinary machinery or preferabiy the small cyclometer used With bicycles and for like purposes. Such an apparatus being well known in its Construction is not here explained. By the use of the bell arranged as shown it is impossible for a person to pretend to Vote without being discovered for unless he votes the bell will not sound and the teller will know that a vote has not been cast. In addition to this feature we believe that our ballot box is the first in which the act of voting closes the voting passage after the vote has been cast and so prevents the casting of another vote until the register-ing and other apparatus have resumed their normal position, and in no other ballot box so far as we know is a second ball thrown back into the original chamber under such circumstances.

We have used the word ball in the foregoing specication to indicate either ball or cube or whatever form may be considered best for ballots.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A ballot box comprising a chamber for receiving the ballot balls voted and means adapted to communicate with said chamber whereby only one ballot ball can be voted at a time and a second ballot ball in contact With the first will be thrown out from the ballot-casting mechanism.

2. A ballot box comprising a ballot ball receiving chamber, and a single means adapted to communicate with said chamber whereby only one ballot ball can be voted at a time and a second ballot ball in contact with the first will be thrown out, and means for indicating the arrival of the ballot ball in said chamber said means comprising a bell located in the path of the ballot ball and adapted to be struck by it as it falls into the receiving chamber.

3. A ballot box comprising a ballot ball receiving chamber, and a single means adapted to communicate with said chamber Whereby only one ballot ball can be voted at a time and a second ballot ball in contact with the first will be thrown out, and means for recording the number of the vote cast and means operated by the ballot ball whereby an audible signal will be given as the ball reaches the receiving chamber.

4. In a ballot box, means for preventing the casting of more than a single ballot ball at a time comprising a receiving chamber, an orifice in one wall thereof, means for holding a ballot ball, and means normally closing said orifice and being adapted to be moved to open said orifice and allow said ballot ball to pass therethrough and means adapted to prevent a second ballot from immediately following said first ballot and to throw out said second ballot from the ballot-casting mechanism.

5. In a ballot box, means for preventing the casting of more than a single ballot ball at a time conprising a receiving chamber, an orifiee in one Wall thereof, means for holding a ballot ball, said means normally closing said ori'lice and being adapted to be moved to open said orifice and means adapted to cause said ballot ball to pass therethrough.

6. In a ballot box, means for preventing the casting of more than a single ballot hall at a time eomprising a receiving chamber, an orifice in one Wall thereof, a ball receptacle provided With an orilice in one side thereof, said ball receptacle being movable Whereby its orifice may be caused to register With the oriice in the Wall of said chamber, said receptacle having a tongue to support said ball and means for causing said tongue to throw said ball through said orilice.

7. In a ballot box, a receiving chamber, a guide-Way connected With said chamber, and having an ori'lice leading into said chamber, a ballot ball receptacle movable in said guide- Way and having an orifice normally closed but capable of registration With said guide- Way orifice, and means adapted to cause the registration of said orifiees to receive one ballot and simultaneously to throw out a second ballot attempted to be cast With said first ballot.

S. In a ballot box, a receiving chamber, a guide-Way having orifices on opposite sides thereof, one of said orifices leading into said recevlng ehamber, a gate provded With two orifices, one on each side lhereoi", and adapt- 9. l n a ballot box, a guide-way having orifices on opposite sides thereol', a gate having orilices on opposite sides thereof, normally out ol' register With but adapted to be caused to register With the ori'l'ices in said guide-Way, said gate having a movable tongue, and said guide-way having a l'inger Whereby said tongue will be raised on the depression of the gate to throw a ballot ball located thereon out through one ol" said orilices, said depression ol said gate causing the orifices on the opposite side of it and in said guide-way to register and allow the exit ol a second ball, as set forth.

CORNELIUS P. SULLIVAN.

HENRY B. BLACK.

VVitnesses:

M. E. FLAHERTY, W. P. (YBRIEN. 

